The authors of Finding Freedom, a royal biography about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, that many see as overwhelmingly positive, has been dragged into a legal battle involving the Sussexes and the publishers of the Mail on Sunday.
In a London hearing Monday, lawyers for the Mail allege that Meghan collaborated with Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, and “caused or permitted information to be provided directly or indirectly to, and co-operated with, the authors of the Book, including by giving or permitting them to be given information about the Letter, before the publication of the Articles complained about; and giving or permitting them to be given a great deal of other information about her personal life, in order to set out her own version of events in a way that is favourable sic to her.”
They describe the book as “focussing on events in their lives, including their private lives, since their relationship began and which gives the appearance of having been written with their extensive co-operation.”
Lawyers say the book contains “a number of passages referring to her relationship and communications with her father, and a section referring to the Letter which is at the heart of this case.”
The Duchess is suing for breach of privacy after the Mail published portions of a letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. The Mail has argued that they published only after friends of Meghan’s mentioned the article in interviews with People magazine. Thomas says he allowed the letter to be published so he could “defend” himself.
‘EXTENSIVE COOPERATION’
Monday’s filing argues that if she “provided extensive cooperation to the authors and permitted a detailed account of her private life, relationships, thoughts and feelings to be published, including references to her relationship and communications with her father, it is difficult to see how she can complain that the Letter should not have been published because 'it contained the Claimant’s deepest and most private thoughts and feelings.'”
But Meghan’s team is responding, saying that she “and her husband did not collaborate with the authors on the Book, nor were they interviewed for it, nor did they provide photographs to the authors for the Book.” Her legal team also claim that “neither the Claimant nor her husband spoke to the authors 'for the purposes of the Book.'”
The trial is set to kick off January 11, 2021.